Stanford Medicine • Consumer EdTech
Developing a 0 to 1 course for clinicians
Role
UX designer
UX engineer
Team
5 UX & UI designers
8 writers & illustrators
6 software engineers
…& many more stakeholders!
Timeline
Jan - Dec 2024
Skills
UI/UX design
Product thinking
Frontend development
UX research
OVERVIEW
The Stanford School of Medicine's EdTech team creates medical curricula for 1M+ students & clinicians annually
I joined the team to develop an interactive course teaching medical students and physicians how to optimize gender-affirming care. As the UX lead, I defined turned design research into concept sketches and wireframes into clickthrough prototypes through rounds of feedback and iteration. I conducted interviews with SMEs (subject matter experts), worked with developers to define technology feasibility, and led brainstorming sessions for different aspects of the gameplay.
THE CHALLENGE
Building 0 to 1 : How might we transform emerging clinical knowledge on gender-affirming care into an engaging online course?
Clinical knowledge on gender-affirming care is continuously evolving
The literature on gender-affirming care is a emerging field with lots blank spaces, meaning my team had to adapt to changes and new findings quickly.
The balance between gamification & education is hard to get right
Gender-affirming care is a sensitive and serious topic. One challenge was gamifying the course without reducing the educational value.
THE SOLUTION
A multi-modal experience with character-based storytelling modules teaching affirming care
INITIAL FINDINGS
Gender-affirming care requires both socio-emotional learning & clinical training
The literature on gender-affirming care combines socio-emotional learning with new clinical knowledge. My team aimed to incorporate both types of knowledge into the interactive game, creating a immersive experience that mimics real world clinical scenarios.
My team hosted stakeholder alignment workshops
Each stakeholder group had its own priorities. EdTech hosted several project alignment sessions to achieve clarity on the main goals of the interactive course.
We defined the top 3 project goals
Cover concepts on gender-affirming care not currently available in healthcare education
Create a novel, multi-modal learning experience that is accessible & reusable across healthcare settings
Set a standard for inclusivity & develop the systemic capability for providing gender-affirming care
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
Character-based storytelling in a clinic setting best meets learning & engagement needs
Working with SMEs, conducting user interviews, and analyzing the existing educational games market, we determined that case-based storytelling within a clinic setting would best support our goals. I created several flowcharts to help the team better visualize all the working components of the gameplay. Below is the information architecture of the main gameplay.
DEFINING USER FLOWS
I broke down the main components of the course into flowcharts that served as blueprints for development
Check out the FigJam below for an iteration of the user flows I mapped out. These experiences went through many rounds of feedback and iteration. SMEs, users, and the EdTech team members all gave input to help define the high level user experience.
DESIGN ITERATION
I gradually increased the fidelity of my designs based on feedback from rapid prototyping
I updated my designs through many, many rounds of design critiques with clinicians, developers, and the production team. Each area of expertise had input that constrained and guided the design of the user experience. Below is a Figma documenting the work in progress.
FINAL DESIGNS
Accessible, visually engaging, & interactive modules
Interactive patient visits that mock real clinical experiences
Users make choices that drive patient outcomes
Multiple characters diversify clinical experience
Facial expressions create empathy & immersion
Dialogue component provides visual cues for conversation
Modular debrief section to maximize learning
Tooltips for easier navigation
Users can customize which feedback modules to view based on their strengths & weaknesses
Modular design makes content digestible
A gamified reward system to motivate users
Performance-based awards incentivize accuracy & completion-based awards encourage course completion
Awards become clinic decorations so users can visualize & track progress
Learnings
1 / Thoughtful iteration is key
No design is flawless, but continuous feedback and iteration will drive your work asymptotically towards perfection. At each level of fidelity, I presented, received feedback, and debated design choices with my team in many design critiques. I was exhaustive in my design explorations and took each piece of feedback as a call to action. Although the process was tedious and demotivating at times, my final designs were significantly better in every aspect because they underwent so much critique and iteration. This project taught me to have grit during the design process, be humble when receiving feedback, and put thought into each iteration.
2 / Collaborate early and communicate often
The design critiques and working sessions I had with my team contributed immensely to my growth as a designer. The designers on the team (UX, UI, content) began working together in the discovery phase of the project, which helped everyone quickly align on a vision and develop a sense of ownership. This was my first time working with subject matter experts (clinicians and social workers), and I gained valuable experience in intersecting design with healthcare and education domains. In future projects I will continue creating synergy through collaborating early on in the design process and frequently reaching out for feedback.
3 / Always keep the big picture in mind
Since we are building the first ever educational game for transgender care, there were many open-ended questions that could only be answered along the way. As I explored low-fi wireframes of the user experience, the educational content was still be finalized. A detail-oriented designer, I had to remind myself to zoom out and look at the big picture every so often. The goal of the game is to help students learn how to optimize transgender care, meaning the user experience should first and foremost be educational and accessible.